who else practices shooting from the hip, or pocket for revolver guys?

what other positions/styles do you shoot from?

i practice shooting from my hip(generally closer than 5yd) with my kel tec p32. recoil is minimal so i can keep on target pretty good.

i can get 4"-6" groups(7rds) at 5yd. i feel thats more than enough for self defence.

its also something i have to practice more often than other shooting positions as my accuracy goes to pot after more than a month of no practice.

if i had a snubby revolver id like to shoot it from a pocket, see if its all that the revolver guys claim it is.

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There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."

I do that same sort of thing. I practice drawing my LCP from my right front pants pocket and then shooting rapidly from the hip as you mentioned. At very short ranges, say 3 to 5 yards, I can mostly hit my head and torso shaped cardboard cutouts with a decent group. I'm hopeful that in a real life situation this would suffice, but cardboard doesn't move and isn't trying to kill me.
I have fired a 2" barreled .357 from a coat pocket to see what it would do. I would say it was close to the same as far as accuracy goes, definately would be faster than drawing my weapon from a holster. It was an old coat that I was throwing out anyway so I hought I'd try it. Six rounds though a coat pocket leaves not much of a pocket left, but I didn't catch fire or anything. I would trade my coat for any edge I could get in a self-defense situation.

You’ll see better results if you shoot from a retention position index instead of from the hip. Retention position provides a superior index and support for the firing hand and arm, and superior protection against disarming attempts.

When you present from the holster your firing arm should move directly into retention position. From there you can punch your firing arm out toward the target.

To acquire a retention position index, obtain a firing grip, and if necessary, disengage any holster retention devices (snaps & straps). Keep your firing arm elbow pointing straight back (don’t chicken wing). Smartly raise your firing arm straight up at the elbow and shoulder to withdraw your gun from the holster. When the muzzle clears the holster rotate your elbow down at the shoulder to pivot the muzzle toward the target. (When you pivot your elbow down make it doesn’t chicken wing in the process.) At this point your firing hand and gun should be beside your ribcage next to the pectoral muscle. Press the butt of the grip against you to cant the top of the gun outward and away from the torso to keep clothing from fouling the action when you fire. At the same time your firing arm is moving you should either be bringing your support hand to the sternum or using it to parry or strike, if necessary.

This is the retention position index you should always assume when draw down on a target. From this point on, if the situation allows, you can merely punch your firing hand forward, and when the muzzle clears your support hand you smoothly merge and mate your support hand with your firing hand for a two-handed firing grip.

Drawing directly into the retention position index keeps you from “handing your gun” to the bad guy if you draw your gun in close quarters and haven’t trained to draw immediately into a retention position index. (You’re going to perform as you have trained.) It minimizes decision-making because it’s the index you always use when draw. You can get good hits quickly out to about 5 yards.

This same retention position index can also be used with long guns when danger is close, and when the shooter is negotiating tight quarters (alcoves, narrow passageways, corners, vestibules, etc). It is the efficient use of a single technique that can be used across different platforms.

Good luck!

Last edited by Shawn Dodson; January 21, 2010 at 08:44 AM.
Reason: Add statement about applicability to long guns

I like to practice several different shooting positions at the range, though I do devote the majority of my time to simple aimed-fire.

I practice draw-fire from the hip, usually firing once at hip level, then continuing on to normal stance to further engage. I also like to practice strong hand, weak hand, 2 handed, crouching... pretty much the onlything I don't keep up on is prone fire.

The out-door range I go to is seldom that busy, especially the handgun portion, so I usually get a chance to do most anything I want, atleast during the warmer months of the year when I go. Often I will set up a ton of targets to save me from making so many trips, and will practice multiple target shots. Add in reload, malfunction drills and the like to keep sharp.

Its fun, but I realize it would be much much harder against anything but simple targets.

But by far, the majority of my time on the trigger with live ammo is spent at the local indoor range, doing simple shooting.

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“There are three reasons to own a gun. To protect yourself and your family, to hunt dangerous and delicious animals, and to keep the King of England out of your face.” - Krusty the Clown

I mostly practice aimed shooting at up to 30'. I also practice some "low ready" and single-handed "hip" shooting at distances under 7'. If my SA goes haywire and I'm jumped, I might not have time to get in a sighted shot at first.

Offhand from 7 yards to 60, rested from 25 to 75, rapid fire from 5 to 25 yards.etc.etc.

Left-hand shooting, shooting across body(Right arm across your chest extended at full length). I put about 2/3 of the ammo into rapid, aimed fire, either two handed or right or left hand, with the remaining 1/3 in various other ways.

Basically any way I can practice. I figure shooting good, aimed fire is important for the basics, and practicing from awkward positions or something not commonly done (like hip-shooting) might help if you have to shoot unexpectedly.

For general practice I perfer two methods. One for extreem close range and other for everything else. It simplifies training and decision making.

For up close pure hip shooting/retention shooting. To do this I have a airsoft Glock 26 I converted to a laser gun. Took out the insides, superglued a laser to the barrel, put the pressure switch under the trigger and vola, a laser glock. Inside the house at night, after my wife has gone to bed, I turn the lights on low and practice on lap shades, door knobs, pictures, clocks, etc... all one handed. And yes, I have left handed holsters as well as right.

And now that I have a AACK .22 unit for my Glock 26, well same thing at the range (we have a 360 degree range where I can shoot.)

For all other ranges I perfer a form of sighted fire with flash sight picture. One or two handed.

The two types of fire overlap as for range. Hip/retention out to around 5 yards, and sighted fire from around 3 yards on out.

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